Free screening of God's work, a film inspired by Durban's homeless
Michael James, director of the film, God’s Work, Lucky Dlungwane, a homeless consultant, Zwelithini Ndadane, a homeless consultant, actor Thobani Nzuza and Dr Raymond Perrier, director of the Denis Hurley Centre.
Image: Illa Thompson
A FREE screening of the full-length feature film, God’s Work , which makes its debut at the Durban International Film Festival this year, will take place at the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) on Saturday, July 26 at 1pm.
Billed as “a portrait of resilience, a meditation on memory, and an unflinching gaze into the unseen lives of those discarded by the world, is a visually arresting South African debut feature by Durban-based award-winning director Michael James, produced by Sithabile Mkhize which has its SA Premiere at this year’s Durban International Film Festival.
Inspired whilst filming a documentary about homeless shelters at the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban during the pandemic, God’s Work doesn’t ask for pity, it demands attention. It confronts the viewer with the brutal poetry of life on the margins—and the stubborn humanity that persists there.
God’s Work was written and directed by James in his first full-length feature film. He was inspired to make it, while volunteering at the Denis Hurley Centre during lockdown. The DHC working with the eThekwini Municipality and other NGOs and faith communities, organised emergency shelters for 1,500 people across Durban. The centre itself hosted 100 sick and disabled homeless men in its building situated between Emmanuel Cathedral and the Grey Street Mosque.
Over lockdown, James spent time chatting to the homeless men at the DHC, who shared their stories with him. Coming out of these conversations, was the idea to tell their stories on film. To their delight, he worked with them to make a 20-minute video which they conceived and wrote, called No Kings on the Streets. It can be seen on the Denis Hurley Centre You Tube channel.
At the free screening at DHC on Saturday, the audience will have a chance to celebrate the homeless men who appear as extras in the film, and also hear from James and Mkhize.
Zwelithini Ndadane and Lucky Dlungwane who acted as paid consultants during the filming process so they could advise James to ensure that the story was told in an authentic way, will also be present.
The film is set in the heart of Durban - derelict building offers a fragile sanctuary to a group of homeless men surviving on society’s margins. Blurring the line between reality and fiction, the film follows Simphiwe played by SAFTA award-winning actor Thobani Nzuza (eHostela, Uzalo, DiepCity), and his crew as they navigate addiction, poverty, performative politics, and the lure of fleeting fame.
With Simphiwe fighting demons only he can see, and moving performances by a strong supporting cast, Mbulelo Radebe, Omega Mncube, Siya Xaba, Zenzo Msomi and Nduduzo Khowa, the film is a raw exploration of survival, brotherhood, and the human desire to be seen before disappearing.
“The film should make audiences feel discomfort,” said Dr Raymond Perrier, Director of the DHC. “And yes, something must be done. Leaders need to speak out, and the politicians and religious leaders need to listen, and respond, and support all of us endeavouring to make a difference,” he said.
Other screenings of the film will be at the Watercrest Sterkinekor on Sunday July 27 at 5pm, in Johannesburg and The Bioscope on Saturday, August 2 at 12 noon and in Cape Town at the Labia Theatre on Sunday, August 3 at 12 noon.